Christmas break..... be back soon!

I'll be taking a break for a few days, and enjoying family and friends during this time off. I pray that each of you will experience the abundant joy and peace of Christmas, and that you will join me again when our studies resume. I plan to return to posting right after New Years!

Christmas Day

Merry Christmas to all who gather here each week to study.

All of you are such blessings to me! It's truly been a gift from God that I was blessed to take responsibility for these studies years ago. I've learned so much, and been cheered and encouraged by friends across the globe.

We may never meet this side of heaven, but we can bear each other's burdens, rejoice together, and grow in the likeness of Christ as the Spirit teaches us.

I'm wishing a blessed and peaceful Christmas to all of you!

Thank you for all that you do for me!

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Eve

It's Christmas Eve!
Are you one of the millions of peeps that enjoy having poinsettias in the house? Does your local church use them to decorate? The lovely red, white, or pink flowers have become a staple of the Christmas season, and they have a history that is dear to my heart. Let me explain.....

Hundreds of years ago, the Aztec king, Montezuma, liked the flowers so much that he had them brought into the royal city by the caravan load....they were used as decoration, dye, and a medicinal sap. They grow wild, like weeds by the side of the road in Mexico, and were "discovered" there by a man from my home state, Joel Poinsett, who was the first US ambassador to Mexico. He was so enthusiastic about them that he sent some cuttings and plants home to friends in South Carolina.

We can draw many reminders of our Lord from the poinsettias -- the dark red petals to represent His blood shed for us. Some of the plants are white, and remind us of the sinless Savior Who died and rose again. They are shaped like stars, like the star that pointed the way for the Magi.
I found a legend native to Mexico that was especially poignant, as some of us feel we have so little to give the King of our hearts. Perhaps we feel we have no skills or talents to speak of, or perhaps we feel small because our finances are low, and we cannot give as we wish we could. This legend should cheer us and teach us.....

The legend goes like this: Once there was a little boy named Pablo and his big sister Maria, who lived in a rural village in Mexico. The family was so very poor that often they did not have enough to eat. Christmas was approaching and their village was preparing for lots of festive events. Every year a large creche, or manger scene, was set up in the tiny village church. All of the children in the village were excited and planning to go to visit the baby Jesus, and bring Him a wonderful present.

Maria and Pablo knew that their family had no money to buy a gift for the baby Jesus. Like the others, they wanted to give a wonderful gift to Him, too. Then they had a great idea! Since they had no store-bought gift for the baby, they would pluck some weeds growing beside the road. They thought the weeds could make a soft bed in the manger, for the baby. They were so happy and excited!
They arrived before the others and began placing their weeds in the manger, under and around the figure of the baby Jesus. Just then the other children began arriving. We know that sometimes kids can be inconsiderate and cruel. They began to tease Maria and Pablo and make fun of their gift.
Maria and Pablo were so ashamed and almost burst into tears. Then suddenly, the weeds burst into bright red petals that looked like stars! The flowers were so beautiful that everyone gasped, in awe of their beauty and the miracle that had happened. The weeds had been transformed....

Well, it doesn't take a miracle for us to realize that we are all like those weeds. We can be transformed by God's love. The only gift that God asks us to bring is love. There's nothing wrong with giving and receiving gifts, but the message of Christmas is that God loved us and sent His Son. It's His love that can transform us from scraggly weeds into flowers!

But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.  (Titus 3:4-7)

We do not and cannot earn God's love. It's a pure gift. May the poinsettias that we see this Christmas remind us of the love of God that surrounds us all year through!

Happy Christmas Eve to all!

Advent lessons - snowflakes!

(I'm indebted to a sermon by Graham Hodges for the illustration that follows)

Snowflakes fall softly through the air, tumbling and twirling as the wind currents carry them along. We probably all recall in school learning that each one is different. None alike. (More on this later)

In 1865 in a tiny Vermont town, Jericho, there was born a boy who was to live there all his life and who was to make scientists all over the world know about him.
The Bentley family were farmers. When their son. Wilson, the hero of this story, was ten, he asked his father for an unusual gift—a camera outfit costing one hundred dollars.   This was a huge sum for the Bentleys, but they saw how serious their boy was and scraped up the money. Why did he want the camera?

Even at that age, Wilson Bentley had become extremely interested in the beautiful, crystal structure of the snowflake. As a Vermont farm boy he saw plenty of snow, but unlike the other boys, he stopped to do more than make snowballs—he actually examined the flakes under a magnifying glass. He discovered that no two were alike. But just to look was not enough. He wanted to take pictures of them. And so, at the age of ten, he asked for and got a camera outfit with a magnifying system to enlarge the snowflake.

Bentley never left his family's farm. And he used this same camera outfit all of his life. Before he died, many years later, he had photographed some 400,000 snowflakes. Sometimes he photographed dozens in a single day. His record for one day was one hundred flakes, a tremendous amount of work when you consider the great care with which snow crystals must be handled. Everything had to be done just right.

Bentley never made a dime from his work. In fact, his life­-long hobby must have cost him a great deal. But the world became much richer. Scientists all over the world studied his pictures, all taken with his childhood toy on his father's farm.

Why did he do it? Simply because he wanted to. He discovered that a snowflake does not form itself all at once, but gradually grows around a tiny center or nucleus, such as a speck of dust or a microscopic particle of sea salt, high in the air. It grows slowly but with perfect symmetry on all sides; that is, each of its six sides is exactly the same.Bentley proved what men had long suspected: of all the trillions and trillions of snowflakes that fall upon the earth, no two are exactly the same. If you want to see his actual photographs, get the book, Snow Crystals, written by W. A. Bentley and W. J. Humphreys.

With all of the millions of things that God created, isn't it marvelous that He took such care with snowflakes? He definitely could have decided that just one of His designs was the perfect one, and every snowflake could have looked like that, all of them exactly alike.

The Almighty is a powerful, all-knowing, and (hope you don't think I'm sacreligous) imaginative God.  And altogether patient.....
He also made each of us distinctly different from each other. Our looks, our fingerprints, our likes and dislikes....all different. And He is altogether patient.....
Each of us is loved by God, and each of us is in need of a Savior. That Savior is Jesus.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.  (John 3:16-17)

Christmas is man's timing. We celebrate His birth in December, whether it's exactly the authentic timing or not.  God loves you, and made you, just as He makes all the snowflakes that fall in winter. He knows each of us, and loves us anyway.   If you don't yet know Him as your own Savior and Friend, let this Christmas be a time of re-birth in your life! (You can click on the tab on the right-hand side of this page and discover how to be saved.)

Advent lessons - stars!

"Star of wonder, star of night, star with royal beauty bright..."
The Wise Men, or Magi, asked Herod "where is the one who has been born King of the Jews? We saw his star in the east ....."
As believers, we may accept the concept of an unusual or exceedingly bright star for the birth of Christ, and take it for granted. We may not think about it too much. We've heard about it for years, and don't really take it apart and look at it.

Not so in the secular world! There are huge discussions, both at this time of year and at other times, about whether or not the star "was real." Is it just a myth? Was it ever actually shining? There are documentaries, youtube videos, panel discussions and more! Over the centuries, several different theories have been proposed. It could definitely have been a single star. It also could have been a multi-star or planetary event orchestrated by God. As Creator, He could easily have made it happen any way He chose!

As someone who has lived most of my life in a rural area, I truly appreciate the many evenings that we place our chairs in the yard or the pasture and settle in for a night of star-gazing. On moonless nights, the sheer number of stars and the clarity that we are blessed with (no smog in the country, and no excess lights, either!) are truly amazing. On several occasions, guests have brought telescopes with them and from our pasture we've spotted Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Venus, and many of the constellations. Of course, we're amateurs. Nothing like the Magi, whose lives were devoted to study and contemplation, and whose knowledge of the heavens was immense. I think it's really interesting to delve into their world and figure out what they were thinking as they studied and then as they followed the star......

Ancient astrologers divided the sky into twelve equal divisions and named them after constellations. We all have heard of Taurus, Gemini, Pisces, and the rest.  Pisces is traditionally symbolized by two fish and has long been associated with the Jewish people. Ancient writings even refer to Pisces as the "House of the Hebrews."
Each of the planets had symbolic meanings, too. Jupiter, the largest, was considered a sign of royalty. Saturn, the next in size, was considered to be a sign of protection and prosperity.

Now, as they studied the skies, the Magi would have seen in 7 BC that Jupiter and Saturn passed by each other on three different occasions, within the zodiac block of Pisces. They may have noted it with excitement and then kept looking..... the next thing they would have seen was in 6 BC, when Mars joined Jupiter and Saturn in the constellation of Pisces. Since Mars is known in several cultures as a sign of war, the Wise Men could have surmised that the coming royal birth, in Palestine, would bring prosperity and bloodshed.
By now, their tractors would have been cranked and they'd be searching the heavens for more clues. They wouldn't have to wait long - in 5 BC, the moon passed close to Jupiter in the sky, while Mars and Saturn were frolicing in the Pisces constellation. I think the Wise Men were packing their bags at this point. (Grin)
The finale is recorded in Chinese records as a star that was visible for more than seventy days. The length of time it was visible suggests it was a brilliant nova (a star that suddenly increases in brightness). The Magi would have assumed this confirmed their studies, and a new king had been born. They jumped on their camels and started traveling, guided by the star.

Please understand me -- I'm NOT saying that this is the gospel truth and for sure and certain it happened this way! Nope.
If the Father had wanted to simply gather a few stars and smoosh them together into an enormously bright one, and place it in the sky right where He wanted it, He could have done so. And maybe He did.
I also believe that if He wanted to orchestrate the heavenly events to announce the birth of His son, He could have done that, as well.

This year, as we see the Christmas decorations, and as we decorate our homes, let's consider the star that led the Wise Men to Jesus. May our response be like that of the Magi - despite the obstacles of traveling to Palestine, they came.  Despite the rarity and expense of the gifts, they gave. And despite the humble surroundings, they worshiped.
May we follow their example this Christmas, and all year through.

Advent lessons - the hanging of the green!

Do you have some Christmas ornaments that are special to you?
Well, of course, we all do!
They may be very old, passed down from generations before. Or they may be newer, made by some of the youngest members of the family.
These are precious to us because of the meaning they convey. They have significance to us. They are precious.

Some churches today hold a service of preparation for the Messiah's coming, and they will include verses and the hanging of greenery which is associated with everlasting life. Cedar boughs are for royalty, holly symbolizes Christ's death, and ivy represents the resurrection. Pine and fir boughs represent eternal life. In their services, the congregations will sometimes also decorate a tree, much as folks do in their homes.

Many people have cultivated the tradition of decorating their trees with symbols of Christ.
Some use the "Jesse" tree as a part of their celebrations. The Jesse Tree tradition originated in medieval times, when carvings and bits of manuscripts were attached to a tree. The tradition was based on this verse in Isaiah's prophesies:

A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;    from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. (Isaiah 11:1)

Some of the ornaments or manuscripts on the Jesse tree will be a globe (symbolizing creation), a ram (pointing us to the story of Abraham ready to sacrifice Isaac), a sheaf of wheat (Ruth's place in the genealogy of Christ), or a building (Micah's prophecy of Jesus' birthplace). The Jesse tree focuses on the thread of redemption that winds its way through the Old Testament, leading to the birth of the Messiah.

Other believers will decorate what is called a Chrismon tree. These designs are centuries old, and represent in symbols the heritage of all believers. You will see three main colors on the tree ornaments: red, white, and gold -- Christ's blood, His purity, and His majesty. I found in my studies that early Christians used many of these (I knew about the icthus (fish) but not about these) to designate hidden meeting places, show unbelievers the roots of their faith, and more.
Here are some of the Chrismons and their meanings:

Ornaments made with pearl colored beads - In Matthew, Jesus says that God is like the merchant's pearl. It may cost us everything to know Him, but He is worth more than anything else in our world. The Pearl of Great Price.....perfect, pure, and white.

Angel ornaments - Angels are God's messengers, and belong to His heavenly court. They are devoted to doing His bidding and praising and glorifying Him. They were present at both the nativity and the resurrection.

Crowns - The crown is worn to symbolize honor, victory, or royalty. The Christian is urged in the New Testament to train and live to gain a crown, and that God will reward us in the last day.

Wreaths - Because the wreath is round, it represents eternal life; there is no beginning or end to the circle. It reminds us that God was and always is.

Crosses - Chrismon crosses are the symbols of God's love for sinful man. God provided salvation through Jesus' death and resurrection. The cross is also the symbol of discipleship. Jesus taught that suffering was to characterize the life experiences of His followers, just as it did His own. The four points of the cross remind us to take His gospel message of love to the four corners of the earth.

Purple ornaments - We've studied previously that the color purple, and the dye used to create purple fabric, were marks of high rank and nobility. The very high cost of the dye, made from the murex shellfish, made purple something only wealthy and noble people could afford to wear. It was a status symbol as well as a mark of royalty and rank. Jesus, born of royalty, from the line of Judah, is our King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Dove ornaments - doves and young pigeons are sometimes used interchangeably in the Old Testament, and were used as sacrifices. In Luke 2, a pair of doves or pigeons were brought by Mary and Joseph as they obeyed the law concerning their first-born son. And, at the baptism of Jesus, the Holy Spirit appeared as a dove.

Star ornaments - The Magi from the East saw His star and came to worship Jesus. The star is one of the great symbols of Christmas because the star announced the birth of Christ. It led them to worship the new King, and it reminds us to worship, also.

Bells - The bells ring out the good news of Christ's coming to earth as our Savior. They tell us to come and worship, singing our joy at Jesus' birth.

Candles - The prophet Isaiah said that the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. He said of Himself, "I am the Light of the world."

Perhaps your tree has ornaments like these, that tell the beautiful story of God's love. Maybe that is why so many secular folks nowadays oppose Christmas trees! These simple symbols present the gospel story in a way that no one can misunderstand. Christmas is about Jesus Christ. It's about God coming in the flesh. "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us." It's about the glory of God, visiting here on earth.
I hope as we decorate our trees this year, we will pause and thank Him for His love, His plan, and His Son. And that we will tell others of the wondrous story!

Prayer requests

It may be easier at this time of year, when we are so focused on Christ's birth, and His coming to the world to save us, to be filled with that "attitude of gratitude."
We come face to face with God's plan at Christmas. His sending Jesus was intentional. His plans include the opportunity for all mankind to be redeemed!

We truly should include thankfulness in our prayer life; our prayers should be overflowing with "thank you's" for all the blessings God has showered us with! For many people, though, the holidays can be times of lost hope, depression, and hurtful times. In the midst of the tinsel, the lights, and the shopping, let's remember what the season is really all about. Let's pray for a spirit of love and peace for ourselves, and an opportunity to witness to those who don't yet know our Savior.

Restore to me the joy of your salvation    and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. (Psalm 51:12)

You make known to me the path of life;    you will fill me with joy in your presence,
    with eternal pleasures at your right hand. (Psalm 16:11)

Let us give freely of ourselves, to bring glory to Him:

Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7 Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 9 As it is written:

“They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor;    their righteousness endures forever.”
10 Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.

Let us be known as a community of believers who stretched out their hands and gave of their time, their effort, and their money to reach others for Him. And while we're at it, let's thank Him for the honor of being His ambassadors to this world.

It's an honor, too, to pray with each other and bear one another's burdens. If you have a prayer request that we can help you pray for, leave a comment and let us know.

Advent lessons - Advent wreath!

Many of us may enjoy the tradition of an advent wreath in our homes. Do we think about the meaning of that pretty symbol of Christmas?
The tradition is an old one -- it started way back in 16th century Germany. The date to start the candles varies each year. Here in the West, it begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas Day, or the Sunday closest to November 30. Candles are lit each Sunday and each one represents an aspect of our preparation for the coming of our Lord.
Let's look at each part . . .

First, the Advent wreath is a circular arrangement of evergreen branches; both the shape of the arrangement and the evergreens represent eternity, and never-ending life. This is the life promised to us by God in His Word:

 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish;no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. (John 10:27-29)

And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. (I John 5:11)

Next, four candles are placed on the wreath: three purple candles and one pink. More modern celebrants have added a white candle in the center.
On the first Sunday of Advent, the first purple candle is lit. This one is typically called the "Prophecy Candle" in remembrance of God's prophets who foretold the birth of Christ.

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14)

This purple candle represents hope and expectation; it makes us think of the anticipation of the Jewish people as they longed for their Messiah.
The second candle is lit on the second Sunday of Advent; this candle represents love, and some people call it the Bethlehem candle. It symbolizes Christ's being laid in a manger:

"This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”. . . So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. (Luke 2:12, 16)

The third candle is pink, and it is lit on the third Sunday of Advent. The pink, or rose-colored, candle represents joy:

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. (Luke 2:8-11)

The last of the purple candles is often called the Angel's Candle, and represents peace. It is lit on the fourth Sunday of Advent.

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven,    and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” (Luke 2:13-14)

The final, center candle is lit on Christmas Eve. It's white, and it represents the life of Christ, the Messiah that has come to the world. White represents purity, and symbolizes the sinless, spotless, pure Savior. When we receive Jesus' gift of salvation, we are washed of our sins -- we are made whiter than snow.

“Come now, let us settle the matter,”    says the Lord.“Though your sins are like scarlet,    they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red as crimson,    they shall be like wool." (Isaiah 1:18)

What a promise He has made to us! How joyful we should be as we celebrate!
Thank you Lord, for your plan, and for the results of that plan! Our sins are gone! We have eternal life in You! Truly Christmas is a joyful and peaceful time when we contemplate these things.
Perhaps an Advent wreath would be a good addition to our homes; another way to witness to those with whom we hope to share the gospel.

Friday slowdown

A lovely song that sums up what we have studied these past two weeks.....

Advent object lessons - jingle bells!

Today's advent thoughts are about the lovely bells and jingle bells that we hear at Christmas. . .
Years ago, we took part in a caroling party that went from house to house in our small foothills community. Many of us had jingle bells in hand, and the sound of those bells merrily ringing would bring the residents of each house to the windows or door, to hear us sing.

Funny how such a small thing can sound so joyful!
Remember our studies recently in I Peter?

Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, (I Peter 1:8)

December may or may not be truly the month that Jesus was born, but I think it doesn't really matter! It's just the time that we choose to celebrate His birth, and the joy and peace that He brings:

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13)

The bells do sound so joyful, no? Bells in steeples, jingle bells in the hands of kids . . .
How do bells work? Oh, that's easy, you say. Well, yes, but let's look at it, OK?

Whether it's a bell six feet across, or a small jingle bell, the sound is made by something inside it. For the large carillon bell, it's the "clapper" that swings back and forth, hitting the sides of the bell and creating melodious tones. For the jingle bell, it's the tiny metal ball inside, that bounces around and creates merry music.
Our joy comes from the inside, too -- it comes from having the love of our Savior in our hearts. Like the verse above from I Peter, this verse speaks of the joy inside each of us:

You make known to me the path of life;    you will fill me with joy in your presence,
    with eternal pleasures at your right hand. (Psalm 16:11)

“And so, my children, listen to me,    for all who follow my ways are joyful. Listen to my instruction and be wise.    Don’t ignore it. Joyful are those who listen to me,    watching for me daily at my gates,    waiting for me outside my home! For whoever finds me finds life    and receives favor from the Lord." (Proverbs 8:32-35)

What happens, though, if we cup our hands around the bell? Or wrap a cloth tightly around it? No more melody. No more music. We've muffled the sound. It's not a bright and joyful bell anymore. Sounds kind of dead and dull.
In the same way, we can have our joy muffled during this Christmas time...it's so easy to get too busy at this time of year. Well, let's see, I want to address my cards, and wrap these gifts, and oh, I can't forget, I need to bake some cookies and quick breads for the church social, and on and on....
It's easy to let the business muffle the joy. Then we are not bright and joyful. We are going through the motions. We must remember that the reason for the notes of love, wonderful gifts, and yummy meals and party fellowship, is the joy of Jesus' birthday. The joy and peace that comes from the privilege we have, of living life guided by and filled by His Spirit.
Then we can tell others about that "inexpressible and glorious joy"!

Advent object lessons - Grinch!

I'm certain that the image above is familiar to all of us. I snagged it from the Wikipedia entry about "the Grinch."
The term has come into our language now, just in the same way that the word "Scrooge" came in, when the Charles Dickens story became popular. Scrooge's miserly ways have become familiar and many of his sayings are often quoted.

Similarly, most of us know the story of the lonely, mean-spirited Grinch, living high on the mountain overlooking a happy town of "Whos" that loved to celebrate Christmas. They ate lovely feasts, gave sweet gifts to each other, and then best of all, they would gather in friendship and fellowship and sing.
The lonely Grinch hated all of that, since no one offered him any yummy food, gave him a nice gift, or asked him to sing along with them. (Grin)
He devised a plan to steal their Christmas, or so he thought. His Grinchy plans included disguising himself as Santa, taking their presents, stealing their decorations, and nabbing their food, too.  The Dr. Seuss story tells us that all of this was because his heart was too small..... he couldn't stand to see the Whos in Who-ville enjoying themselves.

I'd not thought about it before, but I reckon that Herod was the very first Grinch. (Grin) He was approached by the wise men in the familiar passage in Matthew's gospel:

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born.5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written: “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,    are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;for out of you will come a ruler    who will shepherd my people Israel.’”
7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.13 When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”14 So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, 15 where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”
16 When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. (Matthew 2:1-16)

Looks like Herod's heart was too small, too! He heard them say "King of the Jews" and immediately starting worrying about this new king becoming more popular then he was; or that his (Herod's) kingdom would be overthrown and the new king would take over......

In the Dr. Seuss story, the Grinch's plan didn't work. The people in Who-ville knew that the joy of Christmas doesn't come from the presents, the food, the decorations. The joy of Christmas comes from our hearts being filled with love!
Herod's plan didn't work out, either. An angel told the wise men about Herod's plan, so they went home a different way, and didn't stop back by the palace to tell Herod where to find the baby King. And an angel appeared to Joseph, too, and warned him. He took Mary and Jesus to Egypt where they would be safe.

So, ever since the very first Christmas, there have been Scrooges and Grinches that try to steal the joy of Christmas from us. We have nothing to fear, unless our heart has gotten too small! Let's make certain that our hearts are big enough to share the love of Jesus Christ with everyone we meet! And not just at Christmas! Let's share His love all year long!